WEDNESDAY, 2 AUGUST, 2017 PIERRO TOPS FIRST-SEASON SIRES STRADIVARIUS DOWNS By John Berry ORANGE AT GOODWOOD During the final weeks of the 2016/17 season in Australia, the sustained struggles for the riders' premierships in both Melbourne and Sydney remained a focus of attention for many Australian racegoers. Equally engrossing was the duel for numerical supremacy in Australia's first-season sires' standings, with Your Song (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and All Too Hard (Aus) (Casino Prince {Aus}) trading punches right up to the final weekend of the campaign, when the former edged into a slender and decisive lead by taking his total number of winners to 11. In a country which does not have the volume of 2-year-olds races which are a feature of many other jurisdictions, both horses deserve respect for having posted a double-figure total of winning offspring. Huge plaudits, of course, also go to the nation's champion first-season sire Pierro (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}). Cont. in Worldwide News p13 (click here) Three-year-old Stradivarius wins the Goodwood Cup | racingfotos.com IN TDN AMERICA TODAY Just three days after his star filly Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) ARROGATE CONFIRMED FOR PACIFIC CLASSIC took full advantage of weight-for-age against the older horses by Juddmonte’s Arrogate (Unbridled’s Song) will make his next emulating the King George victory of Pawneese, John Gosden start in the GI Pacific Classic at Del Mar Aug. 19. Click or tap here began the latest Glorious Goodwood meeting with a win in the to go straight to TDN America. opener=s feature, the newly upgraded G1 Qatar Goodwood Cup, with one of that Wildenstein luminary=s descendants in Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}). This downing of the seemingly imperturbable Big Orange (GB) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) is a far cry from his earlier-season form, despite the taking nature of his six-length success in a 10-furlong handicap at Beverley on Apr. 19 off an official handicap mark of 78. Turned over in a mile-and-a-half handicap at Chester on May 10, the chestnut went forward from that invaluably educative encounter to beat Count Octave (GB) (Frankel {GB}) by a neck in Royal Ascot=s G2 Queen=s Vase on June 23. That contest had been newly upgraded from listed to Group 2 status and reduced from this two-mile trip to 14 furlongs this year, and Stradivarius gave instant credence to that experiment with this notable success under the much-analysed age allowance. As expected, it was the hero of the last two renewals and of the recent G1 Gold Cup, Big Orange, who set off to dictate and, after gaining an initial prominent pitch behind him, Stradivarius was shuffled backwards. Cont. p2 PEERLESS the first Australian stallion in thirty years to win every premiership category, by every measure CHAMPION General Sire by earnings General Sire by stakeswinners General Sire by winners Two-year old Sire by earnings Two-year old Sire by stakeswinners Two-year old Sire by winners Three-year old Sire by earnings Three-year old Sire by stakeswinners Three-year old Sire by winners DISCOVER GREATNESS www.arrowfield.com.au An unprecedented three-generation sequence of Champion Australian Sires & one stallion-making farm. DANEHILL an era of dominance that has re-shaped an entire nation of thoroughbreds REDOUTE’S CHOICE history-making dominance for more than a decade a season of record-setting dominance in multiple categories DISCOVER GREATNESS www.arrowfield.com.au TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 2 OF 15 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • 2 AUGUST, 2017 Stradivarius Downs Orange At Goodwood Cont. from p1 Tuesday, Goodwood, Britain QATAR GOODWOOD CUP S.-G1, ,523,000, GOO, 8-1, 3yo/up, 16fT, 3:25.47, gd. 1--STRADIVARIUS (IRE), 120, c, 3, by Sea the Stars (Ire) 1st Dam: Private Life (Fr) (MSP-Fr), by Bering (GB) 2nd Dam: Poughkeepsie (Ire), by Sadler=s Wells 3rd Dam: Pawneese (Ire), by Carvin II (330,000gns RNA Ylg >15 TATOCT). O/B-Bjorn Nielsen (IRE); T-John Gosden; J-Andrea Atzeni. ,296,593. Lifetime Record: 7-4-1-0, $522,891. *1/2 to Persian Storm (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}), Hwt. 3yo-Ger at 9.5-11f & MGSW-Ger, $121,198; and Rembrandt Van Rijn (Ire) (Peintre Celebre), GSP-Eng, $163,881. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+. 2--Big Orange (GB), 133, g, 6, Duke of Marmalade (Ire)--Miss Brown To You (Ire), by Fasliyev. O-W J & T C O Gredley; B-Stetchworth & Middle Park Studs (GB); T-Michael Bell. ,112,445. 3--Desert Skyline (Ire), 120, g, 3, Tamayuz (GB)--Diamond Tango (Fr), by Acatenango (Ger). (i40,000 Ylg >15 GOFORB). O-C Benham/D Whitford/L Quinn/K Quinn; B-Tinnakill Bloodstock & Cannings (IRE); T-David Elsworth. ,56,275. Margins: 1 3/4, 3HF, 3HF. Odds: 6.00, 1.50, 14.00. Also Ran: Wicklow Brave (GB), She Is No Lady (GB), Pallasator (GB), Sheikhzayedroad (GB), US Army Ranger (Ire), Sweet Selection (GB), Prince of Arran (GB), Higher Power (GB), High Jinx (Ire), Qewy (Ire), Oriental Fox (Ger). Scratched: Dal Harraild (GB), Simple Verse (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. Stradivarius ended up near the rear with Andrea Atzeni keen to keep him composed on this first encounter with the older stayers. As Big Orange led the field into the straight occupying the centre of the track, the Gosden representative was making his move out of the pack and was angled towards the far-side rail to avoid eye contact. Big Orange is big, but even he cannot spread himself across the width of Goodwood=s expanse and Atzeni, whose antenna was up and perfectly-poised after two group wins already on the card, kept the 3-year-old well out of range. Blindsided at first, Big Orange only had him on his radar when Stradivarius was already rolling past with a furlong remaining and he was never able to make a fist of it as he had with Order of St George (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) at Ascot. As ever, the runner-up covered himself in glory, as after the other 3-year-old Desert Skyline had crossed the line in third it was seven lengths between Big Orange and the next older horse, last year=s G1 Irish St Leger winner Wicklow Brave (GB) (Beat Hollow {GB}). Cont. p3 TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 3 OF 15 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • 2 AUGUST, 2017 Stradivarius Downs Orange At Goodwood Cont. For Atzeni, who would go on to complete a four-timer, the afternoon proved a showcase for his talent in the saddle. AIt=s been a great day,@ he simply said. AI thought he had a chance, as Big Orange was giving a lot of weight away and he is a 3-year-old who is improving and who stays well. I was speaking to Mr Gosden beforehand and I said if I had a chance to challenge, I VICE PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Gary King didn=t want to get near him and I would try and keep him away Twitter: @garykingTDN from him as much as I could. He is improving and is still a little [email protected] + 1.732.320.0975 bit raw. He was on and off the bridle, but picked up like a nice horse and could be anything.@ John Gosden added, AHe=s not the International Editor Kelsey Riley biggest of horses and it was a bit rough after the first bend, but Twitter: @kelseynrileyTDN Andrea has been cool today and didn=t panic and it opened up [email protected] for us. This was [racing office manager] Peter Shoemark=s idea European Editor and I thought at first he was mad, but then I saw the sense in it. Emma Berry Twitter: @collingsberry He goes for the [G1 St] Leger [at Doncaster on Sept. 16] [email protected] obviously and interestingly Andrea said he is still mentally Associate International Editor immature and doesn=t know how good he is yet. He loves fast Heather Anderson ground, but handled this well and has a big heart which is all Twitter: @HLAndersonTDN that matters for a racehorse.@ Marketing Manager Alayna Cullen Twitter: @AlaynaCullen [email protected] AAndrea said he is still mentally immature and doesn=t Contributing Editor know how good he is yet. He loves fast ground, but Alan Carasso handled this well and has a big heart which is all that Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing matters for a racehorse.@ Sean Cronin Tom Frary [email protected] Irish Correspondent Big Orange=s trainer Michael Bell said, AWe know he is better Daithi Harvey on faster ground, but the winner is probably a very good horse,@ Regular Columnists he commented. AHe pulled well clear of the older horses and the Bill Oppenheim Andrew Caulfield other 3-year-old was third. That weight concession is very tough John Berry for older horses, but he has run a huge race and I=m very proud Kevin Blake Tom Peacock of him because he gave his all and was beaten on the day by a horse that handled conditions better and arguably could one day be a better horse. It was slower than ideal for him, but he still ran a great race in defeat.@ Pedigree Notes... Stradivarius=s dam Private Life, who was purchased for just 70,000gns by Blandford Bloodstock at the 2006 Tattersalls December Mares Sale, has made a real name for herself by producing four black-type performers including the G3 Bavarian Classic and G3 Furstenberg-Rennen-winning German highweight Persian Storm and the G3 Abu Dhabi Championship third Rembrandt Van Rijn.